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Aston Martin are at risk of starting the 2026 Formula 1 season at the back of the field. A couple of weeks ago, it was unthinkable that they would trail newcomers Audi and Cadillac.
But it has not been a successful winter for Aston Martin. They only completed 65 laps during the Barcelona Shakedown, the fewest of the 10 participating teams, after barely making it to the track in time.
While they arrived in Bahrain behind schedule, the car appears to be slow, unreliable and difficult to handle at this stage. Engine suppliers Honda are on the back foot, and there are signs that Adrian Newey’s car concept is too extreme.
How worried are you about Aston Martin after Lance Stroll’s BRUTAL comments?
Lance Stroll even claimed that the team were ‘four seconds’ off the pace during his Thursday media duties. There’s a very real chance that would put them on the back row of the grid.
Fernando Alonso confidante offers bleak verdict on 2026 Aston Martin prospects
Fernando Alonso was seen throwing his gloves in frustration after one of his stints in the car on day two.
Alonso hasn’t won a race since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix but hasn’t given up on competing for another world championship before he retires. That’s why he continues to race at the age of 44.
Will Fernando Alonso end any of these droughts before he retires?
But Spanish F1 commentator Antonio Lobato says one of Alonso’s confidantes is braced for ‘another year in hell’ after seeing Aston Martin’s performance up to this point. He has finished ninth or lower in eight of the last nine seasons.
Lobato told SoyMotor: “I’ve spoken with someone from Fernando’s circle, and they told me: ‘Another year in hell, another year of suffering’.”
This could be Alonso’s final year in F1, though he has previously suggested that he is determined to retire on a high.
Aston Martin’s F1 car looks ‘remarkably’ bad from trackside
The Race’s Scott Mitchell-Malm has been watching Bahrain testing from the side of the track and says that it looks ‘the most difficult’ to drive.
Mitchell-Malm called the frequency of lock-ups – both at the front and rear of the car – ‘remarkable’.
David Croft is confident that Newey can turn Aston Martin around despite their winter woes. A team principal for the first time in his career, he has never faced this kind of responsibility before.
Claire Williams says Aston Martin would be ‘stupid’ to dilute Newey’s focus on car design, but he may have to face up to the inevitable media scrutiny too.
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